Dr David Redmalm (Sweden)

David Redmalm received his PhD in Sociology from Örebro University, Sweden, in 2014, and now works as a lecturer in Sociology and Social Psychology at Mälardalen University, Sweden. His thesis combined posthumanist and poststructuralist theory to explore pet keeping theoretically and empirically. Redmalm is a member of the interdisciplinary HumAnimal Group based at the Centre for Gender Research, Uppsala University, Sweden.

Redmalm is currently working on two projects. The first project concerns humans’ grief for lost companion animals from various angles. So far, he has conducted interviews on the issue of pet loss and analyzed condolence cards for bereaved pet keepers. The project will also include analyses of online forums, memorial websites, costumer communication from companies providing pet bereavement services, pet loss self-therapy handbooks, and an ethnography of a Swedish pet cemetery.

The second project deploys concepts from Foucauldian theory, queer theory, and sociology of emotions to investigate entrepreneurial activism—private companies which actively participate in social movements. The focus is on an IT company and their engagement for LGBT rights.